1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the disclosure are related to input devices, and particularly to an electronic device providing a number input system.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable digital electronic devices in everyday use are small in size and thus portable. There are difficulties involved with adding more functionality to portable digital electronic devices while maintaining a compact size and portability.
Number input capability is an essential function required in most portable digital electronic devices. Currently, input capability is implemented in various technologies, such as keypad input, handwriting recognition, and voice recognition. Among these input technologies, voice recognition remains the furthest from maturity, and handwriting recognition occupies only a small fraction of market share, with the majority of applications use keypad input. Keypads in the portable digital electronic devices usually use 12 standard alphanumeric keys such as “0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, and #” Which take up value space on the portable digital electronic devices. Accordingly, there remains room for a further reduction in size of such portable digital electronic devices while still retaining input capability.
What is needed, therefore, is an electronic device providing number input with reduced size of the electronic device.